Part of Woodward to close for 120 days when M-1 Rail construction begins July 28

Utility relocation work along Woodward Avenue was the first step toward full-fledged construction activities of the new M-1 Rail project on Woodward Avenue in downtown Detroit.

Downtown Detroit’s Woodward Avenue will shut down from Adams Street, at Grand Circus Park, to Campus Martius Park for about 120 days beginning July 28 as construction of the M-1 Rail streetcar line begins, project organizers said today.

Major cross streets will remain open. One lane of traffic around Campus Martius will be open at all times for emergency situations.

The Michigan Department of Transportation and DTE Energy Co. might start complementary work on Woodward in July before M-1 begins its work, the nonprofit streetcar project said. The MDOT and DTE work will require lane closures, but not full closure of Woodward.

The $137 million, 12-stop loop is scheduled to be operational by late 2016, and will stretch 3.3-miles between Larned Street and West Grand Boulevard. Some utility work began in December. M-1 has been meeting with affected local businesses to deliver information about the project and construction and plans more public education.

A rendering of the M-1 Rail streetcar project on Woodward Avenue in Detroit.

“Over the next 30 days, our team will be pounding the pavement to make everyone who lives, works and visits the Woodward corridor aware of what they should expect from track construction and how to navigate around it once we begin on July 28th,” said M-1 COO Paul Childs in a statement. “We are moving quickly to provide information and resources to businesses and residents along the corridor. There will be a business support program that we will introduce in the coming weeks along with more details about construction activities and timelines as they are finalized.”

M-1 will have 16 curbside stations and another four in the median. Most of the grade-level route will be curbside.

Construction is being funded by the mixture of public, private and foundation money. M-1 has said construction is proceeding as scheduled despite a reported $12 million funding shortfall. Organizers have said they will use money previously earmarked for operations for construction instead and are seeking additional federal aid.

The Detroit City Council gave the project its required approvals Tuesday.

Alameda, Calif.-based civil construction firm Stacy and Witbeck Inc. was hired by M-1 last year as the project’s construction manager and general contractor. Detroit-based White Construction Co. has been subcontracted by Stacy and Witbeck to help build the line.

MDOT is scheduled to spend up to $40 million, separate from M-1, for reconstruction of 2.5 miles of Woodward from Sibley Street to Chandler Street while M-1 is building the streetcar line.